Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)

Unfortunately, I was not in a position to make a contribution to the Second Stage debate on the Bill. I have an interest in Fenit Harbour, which is located in my constituency. I am glad the Minister, more or less, reversed his original intention in respect of amalgamating it with Foynes Harbour. The latter would not be appropriate and it would be better if Fenit Harbour Commissioners were incorporated as a company.

With regard to representation, Tralee UDC and Kerry County Council have decided who are supposed to be their representatives on the harbour board. However, these individuals will not take their places on the board in six months' time and instead the Minister will appoint one councillor to serve as representative. Fine Gael happens to hold a majority on Kerry County Council at present. It must be the case that whichever party holds the majority on the council - it could be the Minister's party in the future - should have the right to nominate the councillor who will serve as representative. Surely it would be anti-democratic if the Minister were to go against the wishes of the majority by putting forward his own nominee. I presume that said individual would not be a member of an Opposition party. That is not good for democracy.

Fenit Harbour has a great future, both from a commercial and marine recreation point of view. In that context, I hope the Minister will nominate someone with real expertise to serve on the board. Perhaps he might look outside the immediate area or even the county to find a suitable person with expertise in running ports. I reiterate that the Minister's nomination of a person to serve on the board when a majority of the county council might not support that nomination runs contrary to the principle of democracy.

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